Aeropan transport
The Aeropan transport is an enemy airship in The Lost Frontier. They only appear as objectives of pirate radio tower side missions at Pirate's Cove and the old Aeropan barracks, wherein pirate dispatchers challenge Jak to shoot down the ones that had wandered into their airspace (some had a tendency to get lost), in exchange for "a cut of the spoil". Overview The transports primarily carried weapons and supplies, though they also made runs after looting operations of ancient Precursor sites, which the Aeropans carried out in order to better understand Precursor technology. The rewards for each side mission thus depended on the respective ship, namely including plane weapons, Gunstaff upgrades, scrap, and Precursor orbs. The transports are always escorted by squads of Aeropan fighters, and in one case, the last Pirate's Cove mission, Aeropan heavy fighters as well (though they only acted as escort fighters). The transport's only other means of defense are small mounted turrets, of which there are eight. Two are placed on either primary engine on the bottom side; another two are placed on either side of the wheelhouse on the top side; another pair are placed along the front side of the hull; and the final pair can be located on the upper deck. Combat To start out, the transports encountered at Pirate's Cove (Far Drop) are fairly weak, taken out in under a minute with persistent pounding from the laser weapon, Punisher, and ground attack rocket. This is helped by the fact that the transports move very slowly and in a single direction throughout the mission. At this point the ship's turrets and escort fighters present only a minor nuisance, though for less maneuverable or weaker planes it is worthwhile to take them out before focusing one's attention on the transport. It is especially important to take them out strategically for the third mission as they are noticeably more relentless. As with many slow or stationary targets during an airfight, the usual drill is to fly reasonably far away (but within your plane weapon's range), then face the target, engage the brakes, and endlessly shower your target with gunfire. This can be most effectively accomplished if you take out the turrets that at least are mounted on the side of the transport facing you. In fact if you take out all the weapons and thrusters on the transport, you will effectively have rendered the transport an immobile and defenseless target. Conversely, the transports at the barracks are much stronger, requiring a bit more strategy to defeat effectively. You will require a weapons load out with more depth, preferably using a plane with a bonus ground attack rocket slot like the Bomber, or, later, the Gunship. Next, the Vulcan Cannon or slow homing missiles make good additions as secondary weapons to the infinite-capacity Punisher (if not later weapons like the Armageddon). At this point the escort fighters make for mere fodder with your weapons, which should preferably be upgraded, as well as stronger plane armor. References Category:Airships Category:Aeropans Category:Enemies in The Lost Frontier